Starting mechanism for internal-combustion engines.



E L YOST. STARTING MEOHAMSM FOB INTERNAL GOMBUSTION ENGINES.

N AEPEIUATION FILnDAUGl, 1908.

' QMJEEL Paname@ Ju1y12,`1910.

@K Lloyd Yost LLOYD Yos'r, or sr. iviARYs," oniof STARTING MECHANISM FOR INTRNAL-COMBUSTION ENGINES.

Specification `of Letters Patent.

Patented July 12, `1910;

viipplicatiou led August 31, 1908. Serial No. 450,970.

To all 'whom 'it mayI concern: .h I

Be it known that l, LLOYD YosT, a citizen or' the United States, residing at St. Marys, in the county of Auglaize and State of (Ohio, have invented certain new anduseul lm- 'p'rovements' in Starting Mechanism for -lnteinal-Combustion Engines, of which the thereby operating an yauxiliary controlling heating of' the compressed valve ilocated adjacent tothe lay shaft,

.which carries 'a ca m serving to open said controlling valve, Vpermitting escape of air from the auxiliary valve casing and conse quently' automatic opening of' the main admission and check-valvawhich serves to ad- -mitcompressed air to the cylinder of the engine? Another object is to prevent injurious j air inlet pipe in thel starting mechanism, by means of a check-valvefat the inleufopening \to the en.- gine. cylinder. i 'f Another object is 4to provide for 'the use of a very small andinexpensive controlling valve, which may be located in any convenient place near the lay shaft and connected to the cage of the main admission and check-valve by a very small pipe,-a single size of controlling valve serving for all sizes and types of engines.

The matterA constituting my. invention will be dened in the claims. I Will ,now describe the details of construction of my improved mechanism by.

reference tothe accompanying' drawings, in which- Figure 1 represents a rear elevation of an.

internal-combustion engine provided with my apparatus. Fig. 2 represents a vertical longitudinal section of the main valve cage,

. taken on the line A-A of Fig. 1. Fig. 3

represents the page, similar to Fig. 2,.' the -valve and balanci'n j'piston being removed, Fig 4 re rasen s a vertical section of the auxiliary Vvave' sng. on enlarged scale, withthe a vertical longitudinal section of.

auxiliary valve in place, together With an end elevation of the lay shaft and starting cani.

The starting valve cage 2 may be applied to the head oit' the gas engine cylinder 1 and in a single vacting engine is preferably so located as to be co-aXial with the cylinder.

This cage is provided with an fopening 3, at

its front end, which is be'veled to lform a I valve seat. This cage is made with a large forward air chamber l and with a Web and guide-Way 4a for the valve stem. The cage is also provided with a rear central eXtenz sion provided with a` transverse plate 7,

having a centraljtubular guide-Way 5 and having a rear air chamber 8, the -Wall of which is provided with a tapped' opening 9 for Aconnecting the outlet air tube 2O.v The rear end of the extension 5 is ,open and is linternally provided With a cylindrical bore 10 for receiving the balancing piston12."

The main admissionand check-valve 11 is arrangedvto be seated on the beveled seat 3 and is provided With a long stem 13 passing through the guide-Ways A and 6. The outer end of the stem 13 is reduced and has secured to it the balancing piston 12 by means of an outer nut. The piston 12 is internally kcup-shaped and servesv as a bearing for the coiled spring 111 which also' bears upon. the transverse partition 7. The Wall,-

of the extension 5 is provided With a comparatively large tapped opening 15 for ret ceiving'the main air pipe-16 which is provided with a plug-cock 17, andconnects with the compressed iuid tank 18 which may. contain air under about 200 pounds pressure.

The partition 7 is provided With a small i vent opening 19 connecting the main air chamber 4 with therear air chamber S. A

Vsmall pipe 2O connects chamber 8 with the auxiliaryv controlling valvecasing 22 which is fixed in any convenient location adjacent to the lay shaft 27. This shell or casing is providedvwith a screw-head 21 into Which is connected the pipe 20. vAn elongation of this shell is provided With a rear central opening for receiving the stem 24 of the valve 23. A small coiled spring 25 around the stem' 24 is arranged to bear upon the valve 23-and upon an annular shoulder of the casing for normally holding the valve ed from its seat. The casing isprovided with an air outlet opening 2G to the rear of valve 23. To-the lay shaft 27 is secured a cani 28, having a cam projection 29, embracing about 50 degrees of its circumference, equal to about l0() degrees on the crank shaft.

Under ordinary operating conditions the spring la in chamber 8 will be under suiiici'ent tension to keep the valve l1 to its seat with a pressure of about l2 pounds per square inch of valvearea, which is higher than the vacuum which will be attained in the engine cylinder durin the suction stroke. If the air cock 17 e opened, the valve 1l Will remain on its seat for the reason that the air Will immediately pass through the vent opening 19 into the rear air chamber 8 and Will exert an outward pressure upon the balancing piston 12 as great as that exerted in the opposite direction upon the valve. This condition will remain constant so long as the chambers and joints remain tight. The` air under pressure will pass from chamber 8 through the small pipe 20 and force the valve 23 to its seat, so that the stem 24 will be forced outward in position to be acted upon by the cam 29. The valve cage and the auxiliary valve casing and connecting pipe Will still be tight, holding air under pressure, but if the starting cam 29 be turned to bear upon the valvestem24, the valve will be lifted -from its seat, and that instant the compressed air Will nearly all escape from the rear chamber 8 through the small pipe 20, and the vent opening 26 in casing 22. Since the air is no longer under pressure in chamber 8 and the starting valve 1l no longer balanced, it Will in consequence, open inward to the main cylinder, allowing the compressed air to give an impulse to the piston. As soon as the cam 29 moves oi' from the controllin valve stem 24, the valve will be closed gby air under pressure, the chamber S at once filling With'air under pressure and the starting valve 11 being again balanced, closes.

So long as the auxiliary valve 23 is open, there will be a small flow of air through the vent opening 19 into the rear chamber 8, but this iiow is of no practical consequence, since the pipe 20 is many times the cross sectional area of the opening 19 and therefore the air pressure 1n chamber 8 cannot rise'to any appreciable amount.

In. actual practice, the engine Will be barred over into the starting position, in which position the cam 29 Will bear upon the ystem 24C. Ilhe air being now turned on Will at once pass through the valve opening 3 as the valve l1 Will, at this time, be unbalanced. The-engine being now in motion from the force of the compressed air, the operation of the cam on the stem 24 will be repeated automatically until air is shut 011i1 by closing the plA ,eck 17. It will be evident therefore, that the operation is very simple, there being but one thing to do, viz; turn on the air 'by opening the plug-cock 17,

seines The small auxiliary valve-stem is kept out oi? contact `with the starter cam 29 When the air pressure isy shut ofi'. There being no cams or levers 'to throw in or out, the operation is very simple, and practically automatic.

The auxiliary valve 22 can be made very controlling valve-casing 22, thus simplifying the construction.

In the above specification -I have described the admission and check-valve 11 as being located in a cage which is distinct from the cylinder or cylinder head of the engine. While i prefer this construction for convenience in assembling and dismounting, yet I do not Wish to limit myself to the use of the valve in such a cage, as this cage portion can easilyI be made integral with the .cylinder or cylinder-head, having chambers equivalent to '4 and 8, With all other parts functioning in exactly the `manner described this being a cheaper construction which can be used on small engines.

Having described my invention, what I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent, 1s-

1. lin starting valve mechanism for internal combustion engines, the combination with a balanced admission and check valve for admitting non-explosive fluid under pressure to the engine cylinder, of an auxiliary controlling valve, a passage for fluid connecting said admission valve with the auxiliary valve, means Wherebysaid auxiliary valve is adapted to be thrown into o perative position by fluid under pressure, an outlet communicating with the passage controlled by said auxiliary valve, means for operating said auxiliary valve, whereby the said admission valve vvill be balanced and unbalanced at the proper time to permit the opening and closing thereof, and meansfor controlling the flow of fluid under pressure to the admission and check valve.

2. The combination With an internal combastion engine, of starting valve mechanism,

- the small pipe 2O connects the cage with the los comprising a `cage portion having two air lmitted under pressure, the lay-shaft and the cam thereon adapted tobperate 'said auxiliary valve, a pipe connection between' one of the air chambers in the cage portion and the casing'of said auxiliary valve, and a pipe mitting compressed air thereto, a check-valve in the opening from said cage into'the engine cylinder, a second compressed air cham.

ber communicating with the first through a small aperture, a balanced piston on the stem of said check-valve in said second chamber, an auxiliary controlling valve ada ted to be thrown into operative position by uid under pressure, the casingof said valve having an air outlet opening, means for bearing on the stem ofthe auxiliary valve to open the same, a pipe `connection from `the second air chamber tothe auxiliary valve casing and 'means for admitting compressed air to the chamber of the'. cage.

4. The 'combination with an internal combustion engine, of a cage having a main and a secondary chamber for compressed air and communicating by a small aperture, a check and admission valve havin 'a stem assing through the air chambers and provided at its outer end with a balancing p1ston,faJ spring bearing on said piston, a supply pipe andV valve for compressed air` connectmg with the main air chamber, an auxiliary valve adjacent to the lay shaft, having an ,fair-'outlet opening in its casing, an operating cam on `the lay shaft adapted to bear upon the stem of said auxiliary valve, a pipe connection between the secondary air chamber and the casing of said auxiliary valve, whereby air under pressure may be allowed to escape from the secondary chamber forpermitting air under ressure to open the check valve and'flow om the main chamber intothe engine cylinder.

5. The comb'nation with an internal com` bustion engine, .of starting valve mechanismv comprisinga caslng and a valve' serving as admission and check valve for admitting non-explosive fluid under pressure to the engine cylinder, an auxiliary controlling valve and its casing having a vent opening, a passage from the casin of the admission valveto the auxiliary va vefcasing, whereby the latter may be thrown into operative' o,- sition by fluid under pressure, means or operating said auxiliary valve and thereby controlling the opening and .closing of said admission and check-valve, and means fol'.

' controlling the iow of fluid under pressure to the casing of the admission and check valve.

In testimon` whereof I aix my signature in presence o two witnesses.

LLOYD YOST.

Witnesses: H. E. HENDERSON,

.FRANK SiBERT. 

